14 DAY TRIAL // There is a lot of software out there, a whole lot. Much like with books, it has gotten to the point where it would take many lifetimes to go through all the software that is available in shops, and that's just commercial software. If you also go on the Internet, you have access to many thousands of shareware and freeware pieces of soft, many orders of magnitude more than commercial programs. And while the most used commercial software sees constant reviews with each new version, shareware and freeware often does not. Even on dedicated sites such as these it is impossible to keep track of each and every freeware and shareware program out there, and review it. Fortunately, computer programs are like protean that can serve many scopes and purposes, even that of cataloging the existing software, like iFreete.
What it does
iFreete is a catalogue program. It is an easy way to find freeware programs and get more information on them, and eventually download the program. It is similar to one of the many software sites on the Internet, the only difference being that it is a local program and as such can be accessed regardless of whether or not you are connected to the Internet. Also, because of the way the program downloads just the software database, it is much easier to sort through massive amounts of software even on the most modest of connections.
Working with it
Working with iFreete could not be easier, thanks to the very well designed and simple interface. On the left, there is a big list of all the available software titles, which can be filtered using keywords and categories. When you select a title from the list, its details appear on the right, including a description, compatibility, architecture, supported languages, as well as ratings. All the information is downloaded at once, and after you get the updated list, you can easily browse it without any additional downloads, making it very easy and fast.
If you would like to see additional information such as screenshots or comments, or the website of the program, it is very easy to do so using the buttons in the toolbar. While this will require downloading the information, it is nevertheless extremely fast and practical. All the information is readily available at the push of a button, and the loading times are as small as they can be, because there is no additional bloat.
Downloading the program itself is also a simple matter, with a dropdown menu that lets you choose between say the PowerPC and the Intel version, of the program, or the Tiger and Panther version. Once you have selected the right version, the program's built in download manager will kick in and take over the download from there, ensuring that you have a safe download even across several sessions.
The bee's knees
While iFreete has several disadvantages over traditional Internet software sites, it also has several disadvantages.
The first and foremost of these is the relatively minuscule list of software. Serious, dedicated software sites have a title list that is many times longer than that of iFreete, many, many times longer. iFreete list barely tops 200 entries, which is little more than a drop in the bucket. Also, this list does not seem to be expanding at a galloping rate, which is a real shame and serious problem as the main purpose of this application is to be a database of freeware applications.
The second issue deals with the amount of information available. While the program offers all kinds of information, there are others that are left out. One of the most notable omissions is the change log. All sites offer information about what the new version of the software offers over the old one, what improvements have been made and what new functionality was added.
The Good
Easy to find software from the comfort of your own desktop. Everything you need, including downloads, websites, screenshots and comments are just a click away.
The Bad
Very small list of available titles and lack of certain pieces of information limit the usefulness of this program.
The Truth
This is a great little program that has lots of potential. Currently it is not extremely useful, but it has everything it needs to become so in the very near future. It is well designed and simple to use, the only thing that is holding it down is the content.
Here are some screenshots, click to enlarge:
